SARS Scare Prompts Ontario 'Health Emergency'
U.S. Reports 40 Suspected Cases
Updated: 2:53 p.m. EST March 26, 2003
The number of Canadian residents with suspected cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome is climbing, prompting the Ontario government to declare a "health emergency," the Canadian Press reported Wednesday.
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How SARS WorksAs of Wednesday morning, the World Health Organization reported 19 Canadian cases of SARS and three deaths -- with all but one of the cases occurring in Toronto.
One Toronto school and a hospital emergency room have been closed because of the outbreak.
Worldwide, the WHO reported more than 1,300 cases of SARS and 49 deaths. That's counting the cases from China, which the WHO announced are linked to the worldwide outbreak.
The announcement came as China raised its death count from the mystery pneumonia to at least 34 people since late last year. Thirty-one of those are in the southern province of Guangdong, and three are in Beijing. Hundreds more were sickened.
The government in Beijing said the city has organized an investigative task force. A World Health Organization team is in China this week to probe the cause and determine how to contain the outbreak.
Chinese authorities say the problem has been "brought under control."
The WHO team so far has only investigated the southern China cases, not the ones in the capital.
A WHO spokesman said the team is unsure how the disease spread to other countries such as Singapore and Vietnam.
Singapore officials said all schools -- from day-care centers to junior colleges -- will be closed starting Thursday as a precaution. The government has ordered more than 700 people to stay home under quarantine or face fines, the largest quarantine in history.
SARS is believed to be spread by close contact, including coughs and sneezes. It first gained attention in Hong Kong, Singapore and Vietnam, where it has spread among health workers.
The WHO said that in all cases, most patients are not responding to antibiotics, medical personnel are contracting the disease and the high mortality rates are similar.
As of Tuesday, the United States reported 40 suspected cases of the illness in 18 states. Most of the cases are believed to have been acquired from recent travel to Asia.
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